Saturday, June 25, 2011

I congratulate the 33 New York legislators who passed the Gay Marriage bill (against 29 nay-sayers), making it now 6 states who have legalized gay marriage! 6 down, a lot to go. New York, the nation's third most populous state, will join Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington, D.C., in allowing same-sex couples to wed.

One happy gay person said: "I am spellbound. I'm so exhausted and so proud that the New York state Senate finally stood on the right side of history".

My response: I am so happy for you and the millions who are like you! Yayyyyyyy!

One unhappy person: Amid Friday's celebration, New York Catholic Archbishop Timothy Dolan and bishops around the state released a statement condemning the passage of the law by the Legislature, saying they were "deeply disappointed and troubled."

My response: I am deeply disappointed in you and your dinosaur, bigoted view. I am troubled that there are so many people like you who have their heads in the sand. Someday you are going to find out that you were wrong on this issue and you are going to feel embarrassed. Skin color or sexual orientation does not matter! Good people are good people, period!

In a world turned absolutely upside down much of the time, it's so refreshing to see a law change which promotes human equality and dignity. It was the right thing to do New York. I applaud you! I am celebrating with you!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

The picture above is a one inch long, recently discovered pygmy seahorse. Click on the pic to enlarge.

State Of The Ocean: 'Shocking' Report Warns Of Mass Extinction From Current Rate Of Marine Distress

By Travis Donovan, Huffington Post

If the current actions contributing to a multifaceted degradation of the world's oceans aren't curbed, a mass extinction unlike anything human history has ever seen is coming, an expert panel of scientists warns in an alarming new report.The preliminary report from the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO) is the result of the first-ever interdisciplinary international workshop examining the combined impact of all of the stressors currently affecting the oceans, including pollution, warming, acidification, overfishing and hypoxia.“The findings are shocking," Dr. Alex Rogers, IPSO's scientific director, said in a statement released by the group. "This is a very serious situation demanding unequivocal action at every level. We are looking at consequences for humankind that will impact in our lifetime, and worse, our children's and generations beyond that."The scientific panel concluded that degeneration in the oceans is happening much faster than has been predicted, and that the combination of factors currently distressing the marine environment is contributing to the precise conditions that have been associated with all major extinctions in the Earth's history.According to the report, three major factors have been present in the handful of mass extinctions that have occurred in the past: an increase of both hypoxia (low oxygen) and anoxia (lack of oxygen that creates "dead zones") in the oceans, warming and acidification. The panel warns that the combination of these factors will inevitably cause a mass marine extinction if swift action isn't taken to improve conditions.The report is the latest of several published in recent months examining the dire conditions of the oceans. A recent World Resources Institute report suggests that all coral reefs could be gone by 2050 if no action is taken to protect them, while a study published earlier this year in BioScience declares oysters as "functionally extinct", their populations decimated by over-harvesting and disease. Just last week scientists forecasted that this year's Gulf "dead zone" will be the largest in history due to increased runoff from the Mississippi River dragging in high levels of nitrates and phosphates from fertilizers.A recent study in the journal Nature, meanwhile, suggests that not only will the next mass extinction be man-made, but that it could already be underway. Unless humans make significant changes to their behavior, that is.The IPSO report calls for such changes, recommending actions in key areas: immediate reduction of CO2 emissions, coordinated efforts to restore marine ecosystems, and universal implementation of the precautionary principle so "activities proceed only if they are shown not to harm the ocean singly or in combination with other activities." The panel also calls for the UN to swiftly introduce an "effective governance of the High Seas.""The challenges for the future of the oceans are vast, but unlike previous generations we know what now needs to happen," Dan Laffoley of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and co-author of the report said in a press release for the new report. "The time to protect the blue heart of our planet is now, today and urgent."

Monday, June 20, 2011

While still making the foundation of our diet plant foods, my wife and I have gone back to occasionally eating free range ground turkey and wild caught fish. Doctor Joel Fuhrman's stance on 2-3 small servings of animal foods a week did affect our decision: http://greg-foodforthought.blogspot.com/2011/05/to-live-in-most-health-pro-opting-way.html, however I have myself to blame first- my weak mind going back to unhealthy, addictive habits that I've had most of my life. Ideally, for the best health I should not be eating any food from animals. That said... Before going back to turkey and fish I had been a vegan for two years- no animal foods whatsoever. Besides no meat, I was used to no junk foods at all, very low processed sugar, very low added salt. My tastes buds were and are very healthy, very sensitive to the sweetness and wonderful flavors of plant foods. Fruits and vegetables of course are very colorful.

When we now cook ground turkey patties, we put only a little water in the fry pan, never any oil, and it works fine. All oil, even olive oil is unhealthy- virtually zero nutrients, empty calories, it's just fat. When the sun's out, I love to solar "fry" turkey burgers using my parabola. It's a concentrated, infrared heat, a lower heat than stove top which "poaches" the burgers. They turn out great! I solar bake many plant foods and breads in my Sunn solar oven as it gets up to 325 degrees centigrade: potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, beets, carrots, many kinds of rice, sweet corn, etc. Solar baking peeled apple slices turns them into delicious apple sauce, best eaten warm with a little cinnamon, but I digress...

The other day after I'd cooked a ground turkey patty, the "color" or "lack of color" of the burger caught my attention. It basically has no color. What color is that? Why don't we just call that color "cooked meat". Ha! It's a dull, bland looking color, maybe in the light black or brownish color family? It just doesn't look healthy, as compared to the vibrant colors of fruits and vegetables, right? So the visual alone is a clue, that, "hmm, this should only be consumed in moderation, or not at all."

After 56 years, I've finally gotten into the habit of flossing my teeth, so I'm much more conscious of how clean my teeth are. After I eat a turkey patty, I notice there is this "film" of grease in between my teeth that I never notice eating plants. This can't be a good thing. When I form the raw meat patty before cooking, both my hands end up having a thin layer of grease. I can wash my hands, but I realize a small amount of the grease must get absorbed into my hands each time I do this. This can't be good.

The turkey burger we buy comes in a plastic tube. We only use a small amount at a time, so we cut the tube, take a small portion, put the tube in a plastic bag in a bowl and put in the frig. A few days later I always notice that red blood has dripped from the open tube. I'm eating cooked animal blood. This can't be good.

When I eat a turkey patty, small amounts of grease not only gets in between my teeth, but coats my throat, and has to pass through my digestive organs. Think of that thin film trail of grease from frying pan through digestion. Some of the grease has to be absorbed in my body. I think of those eating meat meal after meal, year after year, what that grease build up must do to their organs and body. It can't be good.

After I ate the cooked patty, I later went back and looked at the fry pan. The turkey fat had solidifed. This is the substance I am putting in my body.

Meat digests much slower than plant foods. It's called "putrification." Colon cancer is blamed on long term meat consumption/the long time that undigested meat sits in the intestines.

Plant foods that are eaten raw or cooked in a healthy way (no oil) have no grease, no cholesterol. There is no cholesterol in plant foods, only in animal foods.

Plant foods allow for much easier clean-up- no grease on dishes or the washrag.

Meat tastes good to most. Any food from an animal has addictive chemicals. Someone who has grown up eating meat usually has a hard time giving it up. Just because something tastes good, does not mean that it is good for you.

The reason cooked meat looks the "color" it does is because it is dead food. Cooked fruits and vegetables are dead foods too, but they still contain healthy nutrients, and don't contain cholesterol. Cooked plant foods still have color. Have you noticed when you steam vegetables, after a short time they acquire a bright, beautiful color? Raw vegetables and fruits are alive. They are the healthiest foods on the earth. Try to center your diet around them. If you eat meat/food from animals try to only eat free range animals/wild caught fish. Try to lessen your animal food consumption and eat as many plant foods as you can. When you cook plant foods, ie: steam vegetables-lightly cook them. Center your diet around starches: sweet potatoes, potatoes, rice, corn, and whole grains. These starches are high in calories.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the government agency responsible for the health of Americans, has recently enacted two national nutrition policies that limit the consumption of starchy grains and starchy vegetables, two traditional food groups that have provided the bulk of human diets for all of recordable history.

The first policy will radically change the diets of school children. In the January 2011 report School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children, the USDA Committee on Nutrition Standards for National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs recommended a reduction in starchy vegetables, such as white potatoes and corn, to one cup (total) per school week. Children, however, are encouraged to eat turkey sausages, egg patties, cheese omelets, chicken quesadillas, beef eggrolls, hot dogs, hamburgers, pepperoni pizza, roast beef, deli ham, chocolate milk, and margarine.

The second policy prevents needy families from getting financial assistance to buy potatoes. Currently, the USDA provides vouchers through the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program for fresh fruits and vegetables. However, fresh potatoes are now specifically excluded from the list of allowable vegetables. In other words, under this second wide-reaching nutritional policy, a WIC recipient can receive butter, cheese, whole milk, and eggs through the program, but not a single white potato.Both reports indicate that the primary reason for limiting starches, including the most popular of all vegetable foods, the potato, is to encourage people to choose more green, yellow, and orange vegetables. The net effect of both “anti-starch policies”—encouraging more nutrient-dense, low-calorie vegetables to be eaten—will be to harm the lives of women and children by causing them, by necessity, to get more of their daily sustenance from disease-causing animal foods.

Less Starch Means More Meat and Dairy

Green, yellow, and orange vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and green peppers, because of their high nutrient density, are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and other important phytochemicals; but they lack sufficient calories to support life. Focusing on nutrient density reflects a “supplementation mentality” that suggests that our health problems are somehow due to deficiencies (such as those causing scurvy, beriberi, and pellagra) and the answer is to get more nutrients. However, the opposite is actually true; the health problems of Americans are due to excesses—as in too many calories, and too much fat, sodium, cholesterol, protein, and contamination. Focusing on deficiencies will not solve problems of excesses.

Monday, June 13, 2011

I was fortunate to view this movie today. It is only available to view for free through June 20, 2011. If you are not able to view it, buy the DVD. It is UNBELIEVABLE what our corrupt Food and Drug Administration has done/is doing! Should medicine be all about MONEY, or HELPING PEOPLE!!!

A few months ago I read the book, “Fasting and Eating for Health: A Medical Doctor’s Program For Conquering Disease” by Joel Fuhrman, M.D., which led to my decision to engage in a 7-day water only fast.If I were to pick one passage in the book which inspired me to do a fast it would be this one: “The innate wisdom of the body is such that, while fasting, it will consume for its sustenance superfluous tissues, carefully conserving vital tissues and organs. The body’s wondrous ability to autolyze (or self-digest) and destroy needless tissue such as fat, tumors, blood vessel plaque, and other nonessential and diseased tissues, while conserving essential tissues, gives the fast the ability to restore physiologic youth to the system.” That was my motivation. Take a break from food and put my body into a fasting mode whereby it would spare protein and, instead, gobble up fat cells, cancer cells, diseased cells and atherosclerotic plaque.Frankly, I have no idea if in the seven days of my fast I accomplished anything of that nature, with the exception of losing weight. I am, nonetheless, glad that I chose to fast for seven days and stuck with it.

What Fasting Taught Me

Although it was a physically and emotionally draining experience, it made me consider a number of things that I hadn’t thought much about prior to my fasting. It made me appreciate my willpower, that there is much I can accomplish if I apply similar tenacity and determination in other areas.It made me appreciate my relationship with food, that my tendency in the past has been to eat when the clock, not my stomach, tells me to. Better to eat when I’m hungry, stop eating when I’m full, eat slowly to savor the distinctive flavors and taste sensations, and eat slowly for more healthy and efficient digestion.It made me appreciate that I was not eating food for seven days by choice whereas there are millions of people not eating food for weeks and months, eventually starving to death, not by choice but because there is no food to be had.This is disturbing enough as it is. Now add this nugget to the mix: “… the same amount of grain needed to produce one pound of meat could feed thirty-two people a day if they ate the grain directly. And so as our population increases, we will basically face the choice of whether to continue feeding our corn, wheat, barley, oats and soybeans to animals, while letting untold millions go hungry, or else to eat our grains directly, and have many times as much food available for human consumption.”This quote comes from the book, “Mad Cowboy: Plain Truth From The Cattle Rancher Who Won’t Eat Meat” by Howard F. Lyman. This book is very easy to digest, so to speak. And very powerful. Howard Lyman was one of the good ol’ boys who used all the modern technology, antibiotics and hormones to brutally terrorize, torture and mass murder animals for food and other commodities until he woke up to the truth of what he was doing to animals, to people and to the planet.

The Price of Beef

In terms of the planet, our rainforests are disappearing so that more cattle can graze. Plants, animals and fish are becoming endangered and extinct. Our water acquifers are drying up, turning once lush grazing land into eventual deserts. All of this is happening because of the animal-based food industry’s insatiable desire for profit by any means necessary.Unfortunately, the majority of people on the planet are in favor of what is being done to the planet in order to have a flesh and blood based diet. The sad irony is that they are unaware of what is being done to themselves in the process.For example, allow me to borrow another quote from “Mad Cowboy” which states that “… in 1991, a thirty-six country study reported a strong and direct correlation between consumption of dairy and animal fat and the incidence of prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer and breast cancer.”In addition to cancer, an animal-based diet has clearly been implicated in the high incidence of elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, heart attacks and strokes. Nice, huh? We kill animals for food and then when we eat them, they kill us.

The Big Con

Most people don’t think they have any choice in the matter, believing that protein which is needed in the diet is equivalent to animal products and nothing else. This is a lie. Fruits, vegetables and grains, not to mention legumes, have sufficient protein that is necessary for people to survive and thrive. Consider elephants and horses, both of which eat only grasses, both of which are incredibly muscular and powerful beings. They don’t eat meat. They get plenty of protein.It’s not just the cattle barons and dairy farmers who want you to believe the lie that animal protein is good for you and a prerequisite for good nutrition. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is in on the con. Consider the story that came out last week that the “food pyramid” is being phased out and a new paradigm, the “food plate” is being phased in.If you look closely at the food plate, it lists fruits and vegetables as one piece of the pie, grains as another piece of the pie, and then protein as a third piece of the pie. The protein has a picture of fish and eggs associated with it, further feeding the misconception that protein comes from animals and nowhere else.The media is in on the con, too. Consider all the excitement a week or so ago regarding the possibility that cell phones can cause cancer. Where’s all the hubbub about the possibility that animal and dairy protein can cause cancer? You just don’t see it. To publicize that story would be bad for business.Did you know that in some states it’s against the law to claim that meat causes cancer. Howard Lyman and Oprah Winfrey learned that the hard way when Oprah had Howard Lyman on her show and supported such a claim. They eventually won the lawsuit that was filed against them by the beef industry.

Government Mandates

A lot of people these days are decrying the concept of government mandates, that the government has no right to tell people what to do. This makes little sense to me. Certainly, when government intervention is unreasonable and excessive it is necessary that we speak up and protect our freedoms.But the fact is I don’t think many people would disagree with the government mandates regarding driver’s licenses, automobile insurance, seatbelts, motorcycle helmets, cigarettes and toxic waste dumping. I do believe that a majority of people would be up in arms if the government mandated that they eat less meat.Sadly, by not insisting that the government mandate the eating of less meat, we the people are mandating our heart attacks, strokes, cancers, diabetes and death, a failed healthcare system that can’t accommodate these catastrophic problems, as well as the demise of the ecological balance of our planet.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

The first thing my eyes were drawn to when I saw the new "Food Pyramid", or "Plate" from the USDA was the LARGE "Vegetables" portion in bright green - which really makes it stand out! This instantly made me very happy!, plus the Fruits, so at least half the "Plate" is filled with what it's suppose to be filled with. I also like the fact that there's no word "meat"! And I like the fact that there's only a SMALL icon for dairy and that it is OFF THE PLATE- giving the impression that it is only AN OPTION. That's the way I take it anyway. I like the fact that the word "protein" at least can infer a protein source be other than animal food, like beans (legumes)/soy, etc.

What I don't like about the new "Plate":

1) The size of the protein icon IS TOO LARGE! There is a myth we need all this protein. Excess protein, especially animal protein taxes your kidneys. According to Joel Fuhrman, MD, adults only require 30 grams of protein a day. He says most people in America consume 100-120 grams of protein a day, mainly from animal foods. See Fuhrman's book Eat For Health on pages 170-173 on protein requirements. In my view, the protein icon could be much smaller, or there doesn't even need to be a protein icon on the "plate" at all. If you eat a well rounded starch based, plant based diet you get everything you need, including protein, calcium, etc.

2) There should not be ANY dairy included on the "plate". All dairy foods contain disease promoting ingredients. Besides the saturated fat and cholesterol, a cow's milk protein and estrogen promotes human diseases like prostate and breast cancer, diabetes II, and others! Human beings DO NOT NEED the milk from a cow! Only its baby does! The only foods that should be on the "plate" should be foods that humans NEED.

3) I like the fact that grains are included on the "plate" but the icon is way too large. It's as large as the vegetables icon! It really makes me wonder who designed this plate. I'd really like to talk to this person/these people, as I'm sure doctors like Fuhrman, McDougall, and countless others in the know would like to talk to the designer(s) as well. With all the great doctors and their books out there you'd think this time they'd've gotten it right! Why didn't the designers of the new "plate" consult with someone who knows what they're talking about?!!-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I understand that we can't immediately turn to an all plant based diet in our country especially because of economic reasons. Many people depend on the meat and dairy industry for their jobs. I suggest we need to slowly transition away from animal based agriculture to a plant based agriculture.

I have to give Michelle Obama a lot of credit for her passion to improve the diets and health of Americans through her work. It is sad however that she apparently does not completely understand true nutrition. It is my wish she read any of the books written by McDougall, Fuhrman, and countless others that explain true nutrition. Or she should consult with Bill Clinton. From dealing with his own diseases he has learned what is healthy and what is not. Scroll down for his video at http://www.vegsource.com/news/2010/09/bill-clinton-goes-vegan-to-reverse-heart-disease-video.html

In my view there should only be vegetables, fruit, legumes (beans, etc.), whole grains, seeds and nuts on "The Plate"- ONLY health promoting foods. Here's what "My Plate" would look like:

Starchy vegetables -as the main part of the meal: rice, corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, or beans

Green vegetables

All other vegetables, all colors

Fruit

Legumes -beans, lentils, or peas

Whole, unrefined grains

Raw nuts and seeds -not roasted or salted

Drinks: good, clean water or freshly juiced vegetables or fruit (from a juicer)

A diet that is well-rounded containing a variety of the afore-mentioned plant foods and drinks provides for nutritional excellence. At the bottom of the page under "My Plate" I would include this note: *For meat eaters, 2-3 small servings of animal foods per week is acceptable (Fuhrman) as long as there is a wide variety of plant foods in the diet.

Or to make it EXTREMELY simple, a "Plate" or "Food Pyramid" is unnecessary. All that would be needed is a basic explanation of the healthiest diet to strive for:

Strive for a plant based, starch based diet of raw and healthfully cooked plant foods. For people who eat food from animals, 2-3 small servings of animal foods per week is acceptable as long as there is a wide variety of plant foods in the diet.

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The new "Plate" is better than the old Food Pyramid, but certainly not good enough. Maybe in years to come when they design THE NEXT "Plate" they'll finally get it right!